Fire and Ice
by AimiMikomi
Summary: Will Roxas ever see what he truly means to Axel before he decides to leave the Organization? Or will his love be unrequited forever? Yaoi. AkuRoku. Content in later chapters may become explicit.
1. Why the Sun Sets Red

**A/N:** This is my first ff in quite a while. This is a teaser as to what is to come. I'm still working on the first chapter. The title of the FF came from a Shakespeare piece. I don't remember which one it was, but I remember seeing it in one of his works and voila! It appears here.

* * *

**_Chapter 1_**  
_Why the Sun Sets Red_

A relaxed sigh emitted from the blonde, his head falling back slightly to look up into the pastel colored sky. The sun was setting over the horizon, causing pale shades of red, orange, and yellow to rainbow towards the threesome. Each with a light blue Sea Salt flavored ice cream in hand. This was something the trio mechanically did after a day's mission. They would sit on top of the clock tower, just above Station Heights, and watch the sun set. Some days, silence would ensue amongst them, but it was a calming quiet; the kind of quiet that occur when friends are just enjoying one another's company.

It was odd; most would think scenery like the one they enjoyed so often would be romantic. Roxas couldn't quite understand what that met exactly, but he never dwelled on the though long enough to care. He enjoyed the company of the fiery red head, probably more than the brunette's company. He didn't think too far into the fact. All he saw was a couple of friends. Though, when he would glance at his fiery friend, the look in those emerald eyes confused him. It wasn't the same look he saw in the eyes of the three kids' he stumbled upon while on a mandatory vacation. And it certainly wasn't the same look that was always in his brunette friend's eyes, either.

Roxas was shaken back to reality as the redhead nudged him. He felt a drop of something cold through the black glove covering his hand. His ice cream was beginning to melt and Axel made sure to get his attention. It would be a waste of good dessert if the blonde continued to let it melt like that.

"You've been acting like a zombie again, Roxas." Axel teased with his smooth, husk voice. Why did Roxas even pay attention to his friend's voice? And why did it seem to entice him?

The blonde gave a small smirk before finishing the little amount left on the wooden stick. He glanced at the stick, seeing the word "WINNER" burned into the side of it. "I got another one." He licked off what was left dwindling on the stick before putting in his coat pocket.

Emerald eyes watched the actions of his friend. An ache in his chest urging him to touch the blonde, but he resisted it. He had to honestly say that with each moment, resisting the urges became harder. It seemed something was knocking down the barrier he held, refusing to let anyone inside. Since he had joined the organization, his cold interior was placed to replace what he was missing. The Organization was created to gather the hearts of many and create hearts for the members to become stronger. Now, Axel wasn't sure if they truly had hearts. But, there was always a thumping against his chest that ached every time he was with Roxas. He knew little about the ache. He was certain Roxas wouldn't anything about it. He didn't understand what point laughing about nothing among friends had.

If one thing was for sure, there was something within the fiery Nobody that wanted something. As emerald eyes looked out into the horizon, the pastel colors illuminating the sky, a ruffled noise came from beside him. He turned his head to Xion, who had stood up.

"I'm going to go RTC. Saix wanted me to meet with him after my mission." She spoke softly and with a slight exasperated tone. "I'll see you guys later." With her final words, she vanished into a dark portal.

The two that where left stared at the setting sun. It was quiet in Twilight Town, until the bell rang on the clock to allow the people in the town know the time. The ringing was soft and quiet even as they sat directly below it.

Axel turned to Roxas with a friendly smile. Roxas saw him looking at him from the corner of his eye and met his emerald gaze. The expression on his face was clearing asking what he wanted. Axel had a look in his eyes that showed something was on his mind.

"Hey, Roxas," Axel finally spoke turning his attention back to the sun set.

Roxas did the same, giving a "Hm?" in response to him.

"Do you know why the sun sets red?"

The blonde shrugged slightly at him. That is certainly a random question to ask, but he was sort of intrigued now as to why the sun did that.

"Because, out of all the color, red travels the farthest." Axel seemed quite proud of himself knowing something so scientific.

"Know-it-all." Roxas simply said, in a sarcastic tone while nudging Axel.

The two soon drowned themselves in laughter, enjoying the peace of only them. Sure, they liked having Xion around, but some days, both of them unknowingly wished she wasn't around. It gave them more of a chance to be alone, and just the two of them.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for the short chapter. I promise longer ones in the future. =)

Please review, I wish to see how I am doing so far.  
And no flamming please. Flamming hurts my non-existent heart.

Demyx: HEY! That's _my_ line! :(  
Whoops, oh well!


	2. Departure

**A/N:** So, I meant for this chapter to be for AkuRoku day. I wanted to finish it and upload it before the day arrived, but that didn't happen. My Roxas kept buggin' me about it which is why I finally got to it. I had been busy with other occurrences that I just didn't have time to finish it. But... With lots of last minute thinking, here is chapter 2!

* * *

_**Chapter 2**_  
_Departure_

The evening had turned to night as the two became lost in time. They hadn't noticed the sun had set or the street lamps turning on, one by one, along the roads. Shops were now closed and they seemed to be the only living beings of Twilight Town. The starry sky glistened above them. Emerald eyes gazed at the bits of light glimmering above. A light sigh emitted from the red head. Axel always wanted these moments to continue between them.

Time seemed to stop when it was just the two of them. And that was the way Axel wanted it. Unfortunately, tonight had to end before either Axel did something he would regret or they both got their butts chewed by Superior for being late to return.

Emerald eyes finally rested on the blond as a star flew by in the night sky. A soft smile played upon his lips before Roxas' blue eyes met those emerald ones. A little questioning left in them as he wondered why his partner was looking at him. He still held the stick that used to be covered in the sea salt ice cream. They had both long since devoured the ice cream.

"We should RTC, I've got to get prepared for a mission tomorrow." Axel finally spoke. His voice seemed heavy as if he was reluctant in his words.

Roxas nodded before standing up. "What kind of mission is it?" He asked, innocently.

"Saix has me going to Castle Oblivion."

"Again?"

Axel shrugged. Saix had sent him away to Castle Oblivion for weeks before hand. Except, the mission was to be sure the other members weren't playing a coup against the organization. He had wiped out Marluxia and Vexen, knowing they were the ones that most likely started the rebellion.

"It won't be for as long. Though, I don't know when I'll return."

"Oh…" Roxas' eyes lowered in slight sorrow.

They had returned to the World That Never Was just in time for everyone to be gathered. Apparently, Luxord had gathered everyone to play a couple card games. He was winning, which wasn't a big surprise. He generally won every game they played. It made playing games quite boring. Most of the time, some of the members didn't want to play because they already knew who was going to win. It really took the fun out of it.

When the duo stepped inside the room, they looked up to say hi before going back to their game. There was only a few people left as most of them went to bed. Axel and Roxas headed down the hall where the rooms were. They were mostly walking in silence until Roxas had spoken. "Xion and I are going to have a couple more missions together. Saix said he was going to put us together again since we did so well before."

"I guess it does help gather more hearts for Kingdom Hearts." Axel replied. They stopped at his room for a moment. He leaned against the door frame while Roxas stood in front of the door. "Hey, I'll be sure to say bye before I leave tomorrow. It'll be early, so try to be up in time, got it memorized?" He pointed his index finger to his temple before giving a playful grin.

Roxas nodded at him. "I'll be sure to." The infamous phrase of his was always amusing. To the other members it just annoyed them, but not to Roxas. "Good night, Axel." He waved to the red head before starting down the hall again. Axel waved, half heartedly back at him before disappearing into his room.

Xion's room happened to be next door to Roxas'. He stopped by her room to see if she was still awake. The door was open and when he looked inside he didn't see anyone. "Xion?" He called into the room, but got no reply. He shrugged it off and went to his room. After shutting the door, he got changed and slipped into his bed. The large window beside the bed allowed him to see the stars in the sky. It was always beautiful and soothing. While watching the sky, he drifted into sleep.

* * *

Morning came around as Axel awoke from his sleep. He yawned, stretched, and got out of bed. He was not looking forward to today. For some reason, he just didn't want to leave Roxas for so long. The thought of not being able to see him really saddened him. His hand went to the side of his face as he rubbed gently. Mornings was not his thing. But, the mission required him to be up before everyone else.

He got dressed, slipped his boots and gloves on, then headed to the Room of Nothingness to meet with Saix and hopefully see Roxas. He hoped the blond would be waiting in the hall, but to his dismay he wasn't there. He knew that Roxas kept his word and would surely be there to see him off. After all, this mission was going to take several weeks. Telling him that would make him upset which was why Axel didn't say anything when he asked about the mission.

Saix looked at Axel as he arrived. His arms were crossed and he was standing in front of the wall sized window that allowed the viewing of Kingdom Hearts in the distance. "Alright, let's get this over with."A heavy sigh emitted from Axel as he crossed his arms and waited impatiently for his orders.

"As you know, there are still others of the organization that are planning to rebel against us." Saix began to explain while turning around to face Kingdom Hearts. "Your mission is to go back to Castle Oblivion and destroy the others before they destroy us. Sora is there as well. Use caution when facing him as he has already taken out two of our members. This also eliminates the amount of members that you must destroy. Also, this mission requires you to be away for up to two months. You are to head out in five minutes, be ready."

Axel nodded in understanding as Saix had finished briefing him. He turned on his heel to exit the room but a certain blond was blocking the exit. Roxas was standing there, worry in his blue eyes. Axel could only guess that he heard everything that Saix had said. Even the part of him being gone for so long. Without saying a word, the fiery red head walked by the blond, making a gesture for him to follow.

Roxas followed behind. His steps were slow and heavy. He didn't want to see Axel leave for so long. It was a dangerous mission he was being sent on and even though he returned last time unscathed, what would make this time any different? Something could happen and cause him to be wiped away from his non-existent life forever. His one unknown fear. They didn't say anything while standing outside the Room of Nothingness. Nothing could be said. And for some reason, Roxas didn't want to say anything for fear of losing his sanity. But, Nobodies weren't supposed to _feel_ anything, right? If they weren't then why would Roxas feel a sudden pain in his chest.

"I'm sorry." A smooth voice broke the silence. The tone was sincere.

Blue eyes paled in sadness tried to look away from those piercing emerald ones locked onto the blond. "Why didn't you tell me you were leaving for so long?"

"I... I don't know, Roxas." Axel shrugged slightly, completely lost in his reasoning. "I don't have much time."

"I know."

"Look, I'll try to finish this one as quickly as possible. Then we can all have ice cream again."

"You mean Xion and us?" Roxas' voice didn't sound happy about the trio. Was it... jealousy?

"Roxas..." Axel stepped closer to Roxas, leaving less than a foot of space between them.

"Axel, don't." Was the only words spoken before the red head grabbed the blond's wrists, pinning them beside him, and trapped him between a wall and the tall figure restraining him.

"I'm sorry." Warm soft breath brushed against Roxas' ear, sending a shiver through his body that was felt by Axel. Soon, his lips were close to the blond's, only inches apart. Their lips touched for a moment before the blond broke free of his grasp.

"Axel... Don't you have a mission to do?" His breathing was labored slightly, though he tried to cover it with the slightly irritated tone in his voice. He didn't wait for an answer from his red partner before walking away.

"Roxas, I-" He was trying to stop his partner, but he was already half way down the path, too far away to hear him.

With his head slightly hanging and a frown on his lips, he stepped back into the room and nodded at Saix. Without another word, a dark portal appeared from the floor and the red head disappeared in it.

* * *

Roxas was now in his room, lying on his bed. Regret and confusion washed over his body. Everything didn't make any more sense. Why he was there and what had happened just now between him and Axel, nothing made sense.

_Why did Axel do that?_ He thought as his fingers touched his lips. A kiss?

He leaned up from his bed and looked out the window. Now, he had wished their last encounter wouldn't be like it was. It would be months before he would see his partner again and he left him with the last memory of him pushing him away. But, Axel had surprised Roxas and he didn't know how to react. He was so shameful of it that he wanted to stop Axel and make him understand. Though it was too late. He was already at C.O. in the midst of carrying out his mission.

While swimming in his saddening thoughts, a knock had jolted him to reality. A female voice called him from the other side of the door. "Yeah, come in."

The door opened to reveal Xion. "I came to get you, it's time for our mission."

Roxas waved at her. His demeanor making him seem unsettled. "Yeah.. I'll be there in a minute." His voice was heavy and slightly confused.

"I'll meet you in the briefing room." She closed the door again and left.

He stood from the bed, got himself straightened out and left his room. When he got to the briefing room, several other members were already there. Some of them lounging on the couches spread through out the room. Saix was standing in the middle of the room, waiting for Roxas to come to him. Xion was already there, standing beside him. She smiled seeing him and waved slightly. Though, the reaction she got was not what she hoped for. Roxas just half smiled back at her.

Their briefing was short as Saix told them to be ready before they left. Roxas followed Xion through the dark portal, reluctantly. At least this mission would get his mind off of previous events. And if Xion would ask why he was acting differently, she would not get the truth. What happened early in the morning was going to be between Axel and him. Axel will certainly be confronted about it when he returned, or even _if_ he returned. Roxas shook his head slightly, that was not something he wanted to think about.


	3. Loneliness

**A/N:** Okay... this chapter was pushed by Roxas again. He wouldn't quit bugging me again! XD Of course, I don't think Axel would have finished this without his dear friend bugging him. ;) This is for you, Roxas. 3 You know I love you! =3

* * *

_**Chapter 3**_  
_Loneliness_

_The first day  
_

The mission required the Roxas and Xion to discover a new world. There were sand covering buildings, and the shops were closed. Most of the shops looked like they sold pottery. Tents and adobe buildings were spread throughout the streets. The sun beamed down upon them in a blaze. They had to complete the mission quickly otherwise the heat would slow them down and put them in danger.

Xion could sense Roxas wasn't himself. He moved differently and his attitude wasn't as upbeat as it used to be. Her eyes rested on his for a moment. "Roxas, is everything alright?" She decided to ask, just as they had begun to walk down a deserted street.

"I'm fine." His voice was cold and distant. He didn't have any intention to tell her the encounter he had with Axel.

"Are you sure?" She was worried about him.

"I said I was fine." He raised his voice slightly before his keyblade appeared in his hand. He looked at Xion over his shoulder. "Let's get this mission done."

She just stared blankly at him. It wasn't like Roxas to act angered or irritated. Her own keyblade appeared in her hands as she nodded.

They finished their mission and went back to the place they had arrived at. Xion looked at Roxas again, confusion in her eyes. "Let's go have some ice cream." She suggested to him.

He didn't answer her. He just wanted to return before the day dragged on any longer. The events from the morning played in his mind like a broken record. Each time they played, he got more confused and irritated. Mostly at himself for walking away, suddenly. Axel was his best friend and something between them caused him to act distantly against him. Every minute, he wished his fiery partner was still here. Something urged him to want to be closer to Axel. It became more urgent to him as the day went on.

Roxas glanced at Xion for a moment, then shook his head. His mind was set on returning and going to his room after reporting to Saix. When they did return, Xion looked around for Axel, but couldn't see him. He was generally always lounging on the couch in the briefing room. But he wasn't there this time. She turned to Roxas and nudged him slightly.

"Roxas, where did Axel go?" She asked.

Roxas shook his head, "he went on a mission and won't be back for awhile." He sneered, unknowingly at Xion before turning to exit the room. He stopped at the door to look at her over his shoulder. "Tell Saix about our mission, I'm going to bed." Without waiting for her to answer him, he headed down the path and to the hall with the rooms.

He quietly walked down the hall, but stopped at the 8th room. The door was closed, so he cracked it opened. There really wasn't a point in opening the door, but his body was in control. His eyes scanned the room. Everything was neat, the bed was made, and window called to him. His feet carried him through the room and to the window. His eyes stared out of it for a moment before he looked on the window and saw a photo of him with his red head partner taped to it. Fingers ran over it, gently before taking it off the window. He sat on the bed, still looking at the photo before closing his eyes for a second.

Roxas would never be alright with Axel leaving him alone for so long, and the emptiness of the room nearly cried out to him. The pain in his chest was suddenly noticed. His hand clenched into a light fist as it was pressed against his chest. This pain couldn't go on for those months Axel was gone. Roxas wouldn't be able to handle it.

With the photo pressed on the window again, he left the room and headed to his own. The bed called to him, and he answered the call with pleasure. His body collapsed onto it before his eyes closed and sleep took over.


End file.
